Microsoft to buy solar power from Singapore public buildings

Microsoft has agreed to buy solar power generated by panels on hundreds of public housing and government-owned buildings in Singapore in a bid to inch closer to its climate goals.

The tech giant will buy 100% of the energy from the SolarNova 8 project owned by EDP Renewables, the Madrid-based company said Tuesday. SolarNova is the largest solar project in Singapore and EDPR was awarded phase 8 of the government-initiated program in February.

Microsoft has faced setbacks in meeting its ambitious green goals of becoming carbon-negative by the end of the decade, reporting a 30% rise in emissions last year from 2020 levels in one of the first concrete examples of how rising investment in artificial intelligence can hinder efforts to cut pollution. The company has since ramped up efforts to reach its climate goals.

Microsoft will buy all the renewable energy generated from the SolarNova 8 project, which can produce as much as 200 megawatts, in a 20-year offtake agreement. It’s the second deal between the two companies in Singapore.